Beautiful
by Gamer Spice
Summary: Post KH3. While struggling to sleep, Terra and Aqua reflect on the day that changed their lives. Not wanting to be alone, they find themselves drawn to one another. Once together, feelings come forth and they feel closer than ever. Spoilers for KH3 and rated T for one 'adult' word. Song fic.


**Hello, and welcome to my first _Kingdom Hearts_ story on this site, as well as my first song fic! And Happy (Late) New Year!**

**The inspiration for this came about while listening closely to the lyrics of this rock ballad, "Beautiful" by an indie rock band from 2011 called F1rst Class Citizen. I hadn't realized until now that this song could potentially apply to any couple or character alone in _Kingdom Hearts_, but I chose one of my OTPs, Terraqua as the main focus this time around. And it's rather fitting, since today (January 9) is the 10th anniversary of the Japanese release of _Birth By Sleep_!**

**If you like this story and the lyrics (which may or may not be 100% accurate; I wrote them while listening as carefully as I could), I highly recommend you give F1rst Class Citizen a listen. They only have one EP, which is on iTunes and YouTube, but they are wonderful! And I personally know one of the band members, and she gave me permission to use this song for this story.**

**I desperately want to use a Terraqua picture for this story, but all the ones I like are on DeviantArt, and I'd need to ask for permission to use one. If you have some Terraqua fan art you think fits this story and you don't mind me using, please let me know!**

**One last thing, I wrote this prior to the release of the second _ReMind_ trailer. Just thought I'd share that.**

**And again, spoilers for _Kingdom Hearts III_!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own _Kingdom Hearts_ or "Beautiful" by F1rst Class Citizen.**

**Enjoy!**

* * *

If the residents of the Land of Departure thought that their lives would go back to the way they were before everything went wrong, they would've been sadly mistaken. But they didn't think that. They knew that they now had the chance to pull themselves back together, but that it would be a trying process.

Aqua and Terra knew this best.

_Today's the day_

_When all my dreams just_

_Faded away_

Terra lay awake in his bed, the moonlight providing the only light in his room. He found it impossible to have a good night's sleep, for every time he closed his eyes he was plagued by the memory of quite possibly the worst day of his life. The day he let his darkness take over him.

The day he was forced to say goodbye to his dreams. Not just his dream of becoming a Keyblade Master, but his dream of being with Aqua, whom he loved since he was sixteen.

_I never thought a heartbeat_

_Could mean so much to me_

_Then it all just faded away_

Aqua couldn't get herself to sleep either. The moonlight wasn't enough for her, so she kept her small night lamp on. It was her feeble attempt to keep herself from thinking of the Realm of Darkness.

Before that awful day, she never thought she would ever miss something as simple and natural as her own heartbeat. Time was nonexistent in the Realm of Darkness, and she periodically forgot that her heart was supposed to beat, to ensure her that she was still alive and moving.

But that didn't stop her heart from attempting to race every time she saw an illusion of Terra, whom she loved since she was fifteen.

_And I address you as the one that I wanted all along_

_And I can't take away all the wrongs_

_All the wrongs that I've done_

If there was one day Terra could erase, it would be the day he turned Aqua and Ventus away, slowly causing them hurt with his inevitable betrayal. He still couldn't believe he was foolish enough to believe that Xehanort was the only person he could trust. Over Eraqus, the man he called his father. Over Ven, the closest to a little brother he could ever have.

Over Aqua, the woman who stole his heart.

_'Cause they make you beautiful in my eyes_

_Take away the smoke and mirrors in my life_

_And tell me lies_

Aqua was still furious with herself for not trusting Terra. She'd doubted him, even though she'd firmly told Maleficent and Hades that he would never give in to the darkness, that his heart was strong enough to fight it. She'd even told Eraqus so before leaving the Land of Departure. But there had been that small doubt in her mind that he might...

She shook her head. Even now, after the Keyblade War, she'd always believed, deep down, that he was strong enough to fight it. He could never have turned his back on them. He was still the same Terra in her eyes.

_'Cause I can't take it_

_And I won't make it without_

_Beautiful little smiles_

"You never stopped lighting my way back."

This was the first thing Terra told Aqua the moment he returned to his body, once he defeated the part of Xehanort that took over him. For the twelve years he'd fought with Xehanort over control of his body, the thought of her kept him going. That moment in the Realm of Darkness when he'd managed to reach out to her made him feel even stronger. Even though he couldn't see her or Ven, who she claimed was also with them, just hearing her angelic voice kept him from truly surrendering to darkness.

He smiled to himself, remembering the relieved tears that spilled down her beautiful face. He'd terribly missed her smiling at him.

_Today's the day_

_When everything I knew is gone, is gone_

_And wasted away_

There were times, while in the Realm of Darkness, when Aqua wondered if she'd taken everything she knew for granted. She'd wondered if the illusions of Terra and Ven were punishments for believing she had nothing to lose, as if being trapped in such a hellish place wasn't enough of a punishment. But she didn't want to let herself believe that their lives had been wasted. She'd taken solace that those illusions were just that – illusions. That Ven and Terra were still in the Realm of Light, waiting for her to save them.

She'd very nearly cried when she spoke with Terra for the first time since falling to that realm. Just thinking about that moment now was making her eyes well up, and she hugged her pillow close to her.

_I never thought a heartbreak_

_Could take so much away_

_From me and my life today_

_I swear I'm okay_

Failing the Mark of Mastery Exam had filled Terra with a dangerous obsession to prove himself, resulting in his aforementioned foolish trust in Xehanort. He'd even believed that Ven and Aqua didn't trust him, which broke his heart; it had hurt enough believing their master distrusted him. Reluctantly thinking of that moment in Radiant Garden, he remembered Aqua calling after him when he walked away from them. Her voice had sounded nearly as distraught as how he'd felt. And then he'd heard Ven call her awful immediately after...

Aqua had made those Wayfinders to bind them together, and yet in that moment, they had drifted apart.

Shaking this thought back, he sat up in his bed. There was no way he was going to sleep. He needed to be with Aqua now. He just knew that she was being haunted by the memories of the past like he was.

_And I address you as the one that I wanted all along_

_And I can't take away all the wrongs_

_All the wrongs that I've done_

No matter how strong Aqua convinced herself she was, no matter how many dark phantoms of her inner demons she'd defeated, the darkness still managed to take hold of her heart. Her worst nightmare had come true then. When Mickey finally came to save her, her anger had overcome her, and she'd accused him of abandoning her, relishing the look of defeat and guilt in the poor mouse's averted eyes. Then Riku stepped forward to fight her. Thinking about it now, he was so much like Terra. But in her ultimate moment of weakness, it was like she had forgotten how much she'd missed her dearest friends. And after Sora defeated her, she was ready to fade away. After what she had done, she was willing to accept her end. But Sora saved her anyway...

Suddenly, she sat up with a horrified gasp. How could she have just given up then? If it weren't for Sora, she would never have been given the chance to save Ven and Terra. She wouldn't be here now, back home, with her friends. With Terra...

Wiping a stray tear, Aqua left her bed and headed for her door. She just couldn't spend another minute alone. She needed Terra with her. She opened her door to find him standing there, looking just as surprised as her.

"Terra...?"

_'Cause they make you beautiful in my eyes_

_Take away the smoke and mirrors in my life_

_And tell me lies_

Terra got over his mild shock and allowed himself a small smile.

"Couldn't sleep either, huh?" he asked her.

Aqua let go of the breath she didn't realize she was holding.

"No," she said simply, looking down.

Looking at her, Terra noticed redness in her eyes and frowned slightly. He knew that she cried when she believed she was alone; ever since they returned to the Land of Departure, she never allowed herself to cry in front of him or Ven. But there were times he would pass by her room and hear her sniffling or even full on sobbing. He never confronted her about it until now.

And it wasn't like he hadn't shed a few tears of his own while in the privacy of his room...

_'Cause I can't take it_

_And I won't make it without_

_Beautiful little smiles_

Inside, Aqua was amazed that Terra could give her a smile right now, even just a small one. She couldn't force herself to smile back, her heart was just too heavy. She silently backed away, allowing him space to enter her room. They sat together on her bed.

"I'm sorry," she said.

She knew, without looking up, that Terra probably looked confused.

"What for?" he asked her gently.

"For not trusting you," she said. Another tear threatened to spill. "I should have believed in you. It was my fault –"

"It wasn't your fault, Aqua," he protested, lifting her chin so they could look into each other's eyes. He caught her tear with his thumb. "Between the two of us, you were the one doing the right thing. I should have listened to you and Ven." He let out a bitter chuckle. "Maybe if the three of us bothered to just stop and talk, none of this would have happened."

_Beautiful in my eyes_

_Take away the smoke and mirrors in my life_

_And tell me lies_

Terra thought about that as Aqua let out a soft giggle. True, if they had listened to each other when they should have, things would be very different. But would that be a good thing? Would they have actually defeated Xehanort the first time? Would Eraqus still be with them, even after twelve years?

And their new friends...

Without Xehanort, Sora and Riku would still be together, but Radiant Garden wouldn't have fallen to darkness and Kairi wouldn't have ended up on the Destiny Islands. With Sora and Riku's desire to see other worlds, though, they probably still would have found some way to meet her.

But then again, if it weren't for Xehanort possessing Terra and later becoming Ansem and Xemnas, some of their new friends wouldn't exist: Ven wouldn't have his "twin" Roxas, and they wouldn't have Naminé, whom Terra hoped was sleeping peacefully several rooms away.

But he didn't want to think about all the "what-ifs" right now. He had wanted to be with Aqua tonight, and he got his wish. He was pulled from his thoughts when she turned to face him fully and held onto his hands. She was finally smiling at him.

"There may have been things that could have gone differently," she said, staring deeply into his eyes, "but we're here now. We're together, and that's all I could ask for."

Together? Could she possibly mean...?

_'Cause I can't take it_

_And I won't make it without_

_Beautiful little smiles_

_Little smiles_

Feeling brave enough, Aqua leaned forward and kissed Terra, something she'd wanted to do for years. After a while, he kissed her back, wrapping his arms around her as she placed hers on his chest. More tears were falling, but she wasn't sad anymore. Her heart was singing in happiness, and she could feel his heart was doing something similar underneath her palm. Their kiss deepened as they pulled each other closer.

Before they ran out of air, they slowly pulled away, slightly panting as they continued to smile at each other.

_Beautiful in my eyes_

_Take away the smoke and mirrors in my life_

_And tell me lies_

"How long?" Terra couldn't help asking.

"Well, I've wanted to kiss you since the Mark of Mastery exam," said Aqua, sounding so matter-of-fact that Terra almost laughed. "And I've loved you since I was about fifteen. You?"

He pressed his forehead against hers.

"Both since I was sixteen," he confessed. His smile grew bigger when she giggled again. "I mean it. You're beautiful, kind, smart, strong, and you can kick my ass. You're...perfect."

She shook her head, still giggling. He watched her cheeks turn a lovely shade of pink and then gave her another kiss.

They spent the next few minutes catching up on several years of hidden and pent up feelings. They felt even closer than before. There were no more secrets and lies between them, and there never would be again.

_'Cause I can't take it_

_And I won't make it without_

_Beautiful little smiles_

Pretty soon, Aqua's eyes began to feel heavy. She felt like she could sleep better now, but she still didn't want to be alone.

"Terra," she began rather shyly, feeling her cheeks grow warmer, "will you...?"

"Yes," he said, and she knew he understood.

They climbed under the covers and held onto each other as they let themselves finally fall asleep, bathed in the soft glow of the night lamp. The last thing Aqua heard was Terra's heart beating soothingly against her ear...

_I never thought a heartbeat could mean so much to me_

* * *

**Thank you for reading!**

**I hope I did a good job conveying their thoughts and feelings. Even when writing my _X-Men_ AU trilogy, I found myself somewhat struggling to write believable romance.**

**And yes, Naminé is living with the Wayfinder Trio! I had seen a couple of examples of this, seeing as Castle Oblivion had been her birth place. And I've grown very fond of the idea of Terra being a big brother figure to her, and it's something I'd like to see more of.**

**Aqua leaving a night lamp on as she tried to sleep was inspired by _Shrek Forever After_ interestingly enough, where we learn that Fiona always slept with a candle lit by her bed because she was still afraid that she could wake up back in the tower. I felt like that was something Aqua would do as well; I mean, the poor girl still thought she was in the Realm of Darkness when she awoke on Destiny Island!**

**I have a couple more ideas for song fics if y'all liked this one, one of them being for Soriku. I don't know when I'll get around to writing them, but it's something I'd love to keep doing!**


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